NT Text: Revelation 22:1-2a
OT Source(s):
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Typology (Direct Type, Forward-Looking) + Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Genesis 2:10 describes the primal river: "A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters." Revelation 22:1 describes "a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb." The typological correspondence is foundational: Eden's river sustaining physical life becomes the eschatological river sustaining eternal life. In Genesis, the river flows from Eden to water the garden; in Revelation, it flows from God's throne down the city's main street. The pairing of river and tree of life in both texts (Gen 2:9-10; Rev 22:1-2) creates a deliberate Eden-New Jerusalem inclusio that frames the entire biblical narrative. The New Jerusalem is the restored and escalated Eden — the garden-city where God dwells permanently with His people. The four rivers becoming one river suggests the unification and perfection of what was originally divided.